UNDER THE STUARTS I JAMES I. : A NEW POLICY 143 



Monson who was a Roman Catholic, had been Admiral of 

 the Narrow Sea, and was accused by the Dutch of antipathy 

 to them wrote several papers in the same strain. He dwelt 

 upon the danger to England of their increase in shipping 

 commerce and power, all derived from the fisheries in the 

 British seas. They had already got the Irish and Russian 

 trade, as well as that to the Mediterranean, so that while twelve 

 years before there were twelve English ships to one Hollander 

 in that sea, there were now ten Hollanders to one English; 

 they even transported the red-herrings from Yarmouth and 

 the pilchards from Cornwall and Ireland, which was previously 

 done by English vessels. Monson's remedy was to obtain 

 possession of the fisheries and build a fleet of English busses. 1 



There is no doubt James was inclined to listen with a 

 favourable ear to the proposals to establish a native herring 

 fishery at the expense of the Dutch. A year or two earlier 

 he had, indeed, induced the Parliament of Scotland to pass 

 an Act providing, among other things, that the royal burghs 

 should equip busses for the herring fishery, a suggestion 

 frequently made and never well received. When the burghs 

 were called upon to state the number of busses they were 

 prepared to set forth, they declared that some of the coast 

 towns already had vessels engaged in this fishery, especially 

 in summer, " att the back of the Isles besyid the Flemeingis " ; 

 that on the coast there was more shipping for fishing than 

 "substance" to furnish them with or mariners to serve in 

 them; and that the most profitable and "easy" fishing was 

 at the Isles and lochs on the west coast, though they were 

 hindered there by the barbarous 1 conduct of the natives. It 

 was therefore, they said, " in vain " to ask them to fish " in 

 the mayne sea " when they could get this easy and profitable 

 fishing at the lochs and near the shore at all seasons, in great 

 abundance, both summer and winter. 2 



At the time the fishery scheme was under consideration 



1 A Demonstration of the Hollanders Increase in Shipping and our Decay herein. 

 Ibid., xlvii. 112. Particulars of the Lawes observed by other Nations touching 

 fishing, and the Advantages that would accrue from establishing an English Fishing 

 fleet. Ibid., 114. 



2 Records of the Convention of the Royal Burghs of Scotland, ii. 203, July 2, 

 1605. 



